‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬

Al Adab Al Mufrad (‫)األدب المفرد‬

11 March 2018 – 23 Jamad Al Thani 1439

Al Adab Al Mufrad (‫ – )األدب المفرد‬Class #21

Book of Compassion (‫الر ْفق‬
ِّ ‫)كتاب‬
(‫ )رفق‬is when something is brought in a gentle way, unlike (‫ )رحمة‬and (‫ )لطف‬which can come through hardship or
firmness. There’s softness and goodness in dealing and in speech with (‫)رفق‬.

(‫ )رحمة‬is mercy is for everyone, (‫ )لطف‬is through decrees, and (‫ )رفق‬is shown even to the enemies. Notice when the
Jews said to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and said ‘poison upon you’, he still showed (‫)رفق‬.

What does it mean to not show (‫ )رفق‬in actions? By body language such as firmly putting our books down, or
slamming the door. Or when our children throw a tantrum, we end up throwing a tantrum like them; this is not
(‫)رفق‬.

Book 217: Compassion (‫الر ْفق‬

ِّ ‫)بَاب‬
Hadith: ( ،‫ عَنْ أَبي الد َّْردَاء‬،‫ عَنْ أ ِّم الد َّْردَاء‬،‫ عَنْ يَ ْعلَى بْن َم ْملَ ٍك‬،َ‫ عَن ابْن أَبي ملَ ْي َكة‬،‫ عَنْ َع ْم ٍرو‬،َ‫ َح َّدثَنَا ابْن عيَ ْينَة‬:‫ قَا َل‬،‫َح َّدثَنَا َعبْد للا ْبن م َح َّم ٍد‬
‫ أَ ْثقَل‬،‫ فَقَ ْد حر َم َحظَّه منَ ا ْل َخ ْير‬،‫ َو َمنْ حر َم َحظَّه منَ ال ِّر ْفق‬،‫ َمنْ أعْط َي َحظَّه منَ ال ِّر ْفق فَقَ ْد أعْط َي َحظَّه منَ ا ْل َخيْر‬:‫عَن النَّب ِّي صلى للا عليه وسلم قَا َل‬
َّ ‫ش ا ْلبَذ‬
.‫ي‬ َ ‫للاَ لَي ْبغض ا ْلفَاح‬َّ َّ‫ َوإن‬،‫سن ا ْلخلق‬ ْ ‫َي ٍء في ميزَان ا ْلمؤْ من يَ ْو َم ا ْلقيَا َمة ح‬
ْ ‫( )ش‬Abu'd-Darda' reported that the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever has been given his portion of compassion has been given his
portion of good. Whoever is denied given his portion of compassion has been denied his portion of good. Good
character will be the weightiest thing in the believer's balance on the Day of Rising. Allah hates a coarse, foul-
mouthed person.") - Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 464

▪ When you see someone who’s behaving without rifq then he’s been deprived of goodness. Especially as
students of knowledge, we need to struggle even more to show rifq to others. A person can’t say ‘my personality
is harsh’ – he should struggle and show rifq and gentleness. A person should remind himself there is no reason
to be harsh to others because we’re all slaves of Allah (‫)ﷻ‬.
▪ If someone is disobeying Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬or doesn’t understand then we shouldn’t show them harshness. We need to
remember we didn’t know once. Imagine a doctor being mean to someone ‘sick’.
▪ Rifq is considered a good character and it’s the heaviest on the scale. Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬hates the one who’s harsh and
indecent in speech.
▪ Someone might say, ‘there are those who are disobeying Allah (‫)ﷻ‬, so how do I approach them?’. You need to
be gentle. A person shouldn’t push others away. If someone comes for the first time to the study circle and
they’re treated harshly for not dressing in a certain way then either they will not come again or they might
come but dressed only for you and that’s being a hypocrite. It will be around a person’s neck for driving others
away from goodness as a result of being harsh. Or there are those who change for others because the people
are harsh and are always embarrassing them for not changing.
▪ The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬made a dua for those who are in charge of others. For those who are harsh and make things
difficult on others then he asked Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬to be harsh on them and for those who are gentle to others then he
asked Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬to be gentle with them. Hadith: ( ‫ سمعت رسول للا صلى للا عليه وسلم يقول‬:‫وعن عائشة رضي للا عنها قالت‬
‫ فارفق به‬،‫ فرفق بهم‬،‫ فاشقق عليه ومن ولى من أمر أمتى شيئا‬،‫ “اللهم من ولى من أمر أمتى شيئا فشق عليهم‬:‫( )”في بيتى هذا‬I heard
the the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬supplicating in my house: "O Allah! Treat harshly those who rule over my Ummah
with harshness, and treat gently those who rule over my Ummah with gentleness.") – Riyadh As Saliheen, Muslim,
Book 1, Hadith 655

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 ‫بسم هللا الرحمن الرحيم‬
Al Adab Al Mufrad (‫)األدب المفرد‬
11 March 2018 – 23 Jamad Al Thani 1439

Hadith: ( ‫ َكانَ َرسول‬:‫ي قَا َل‬ َ ‫ عَنْ أَبي‬،‫سم ْعت َعبْ َد للا بْنَ أَبي عتْبَةَ ي َحدِّث‬
ِّ ‫سعي ٍد ا ْلخدْر‬ َ :‫ عَنْ قَتَا َدةَ قَا َل‬،‫ أَ ْخبَ َرنَا ش ْعبَة‬:‫ قَا َل‬،‫وق‬
ٍ ‫َح َّدثَنَا َع ْمرو بْن َم ْرز‬
ْ
.‫ش ْيئا َع َرفنَاه في َو ْجهه‬ َ ْ ْ
َ َ‫ َو َكانَ إذا َكره‬،‫ش َّد َحيَاء منَ ال َعذ َراء في خدْرهَا‬ َ
َ ‫( )للا صلى للا عليه وسلم أ‬Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said, "The Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was more modest than a virgin in her tent. When he disliked
something, we recognised that in his face.") – Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 467

▪ The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬was shier than an unmarried woman in her house. If there’s something he dislikes then it can
be seen in his face, but he wouldn’t embarrass or put others down.

Hadith: ( ‫ فَقَا َل‬،ٌ‫ ك ْنت َعلَى بَعي ٍر فيه صعوبَة‬: ْ‫للا َعنْ َها قَالَت‬
َّ ‫شةَ َرض َي‬َ ‫ عَنْ عَائ‬،‫ عَنْ أَبيه‬،‫ عَن ا ْلمقْدَام‬،‫ َح َّدثَنَا ش ْعبَة‬:‫ قَا َل‬،‫َح َّدثَنَا َح ْفص ْبن ع َم َر‬
ْ ‫ فَإنَّه لَ يَكون في ش‬،‫ َعلَيْك بال ِّر ْفق‬:‫'( )النَّبي صلى للا عليه وسلم‬A'isha, may Allah be pleased
ْ ‫ َولَ ينْ َزع منْ ش‬،‫َي ٍء إل زَانَه‬
.‫َي ٍء إل شَانَه‬
with her, said, "I was on a camel which was somewhat intractable and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, remarked, 'You must be compassionate. Whenever there is compassion in something, it adorns it, and
when it is removed from something it disgraces it.") - Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 469

▪ Aisha (ra) was on a camel and it wasn’t moving properly, so the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬told her to show gentleness. Now
we’re not riding a camel, but when we’re riding our cars, we should still be gentle and not honk the horn or put
others down while driving.
▪ When there’s gentleness in any matter then it beautifies it and when there’s harshness in many matter then it
makes it ugly.

May Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬grant us gentleness and goodness. Ameen.

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